Inyo-Mono Supervisors: water issues, snow removal, planning and June Mountain

Both of our Boards of Supervisors met Monday and will continue meeting today. Inyo Supervisors are holding their meetings in Death Valley. Mono Supervisors met Monday as the Housing Authority and meet today in regular session in Bridgeport.

The Inyo Supervisors and their staff covered health and Human Services provided in Tecopa, an update on the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site issue, and groundwater issues in that part of Inyo County. Today, they planned to tour the CR Briggs mining operation in Death Valley.

The Board also scheduled an addendum for a closed session on the dispute and litigation between Inyo County and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power over the Blackrock 94 issue. Inyo’s Water Department has documented serious environmental damage there due to DWP pumping of the underground. LA has basically denied it.

Mono Supervisors were scheduled to start meeting at 9am in Bridgeport. The Public Works Department planned to ask for permission to approve cooperative agreements to help Yosemite National Park with snow removal on Tioga Pass when weather permits.

At 1PM, the Board scheduled a planning workshop and has widely asked for public input on their priorities for the next two years. Supervisor Byng Hunt requested this item. The Board set aside two hours for discussion and public input.

The big item is scheduled for last – reportedly around 3:30pm. The Board will talk about the re-opening of June Mountain Ski Area. Mammoth Mountain CEO Rusty Gregory and staff were expected to be there.

Gregory has stated that he will re-open June Mountain next season, but citizens of June Lake fear not enough improvements will be made to make the ski area a success.

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About Benett Kessler

Always interested in writing, Benett was the editor of her high school paper, proceeded to the University of Chicago and then out West where she and John Heston formed Eastern Sierra News Service in Inyo County. They fed film to KNXT in Los Angeles and co-wrote and produced the first daily radio news in the Eastern Sierra. Their work ranged from a published news magazine to the first television newscast. They continued to provide videotaped news to KABC and other news outlets. After a seat on the Mammoth Times board and work as newswriter, Benett formed her own company, Sierra Broadcasters and launched an FM radio station, now KSRW and a broadcast television station, KSRW-TV33. The latest addition - Sierrawave.net. Her company motto: Comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable.

Is there a thought to reach out and have Alpine County included in this larger effort? All of our watersheds naturally drain East, basically a “terminal watershed”… There is some common interests like Air Quality, Water Quality (surface and ground water), Water Quantity (consummative, Ag needs and use, riparian needs, the interrelationship between surface flood or sprinkler irrigation, ground water recharge, air quality… Private land ownership, the water rightsI believe we are all in this together… A number of the ranchers and land owners on the Eastern side of the Sierras that I personally know want to keep on ranching and leave their property and rights to their family… Don…